South Lambeth Road Practice

Updated 30 September 2016

The South Lambeth Road Practice is based in the London Borough of Lambeth. The practice is run by three GP partners (2.38 whole time equivalent [WTE]). The practice is based in a purpose built building (which is part of a larger building) which is based across two floors. The address of the practice is 1 Selway House, 272 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1UL.

The practice currently has approximately 7,300 registered patients. The practice partners told us that they were currently working with the local clinical commissioning group to ensure that the practice will be able to accommodate this increase. The surgery is based in an area with a deprivation score of 3 out of 10 (10 being the least deprived). The practice age demographic is similar to much of the borough of Lambeth in that there are a higher than average number of patients between the ages of 20 and 50 and a lower than average number of patients over the age of 60. The practice had a high proportion of patients who spoke Cantonese and Portuguese as a first language.

The practice employs one further GP. Of the permanent staff in the practice there are in total there three male GPs and one female GP working to an equivalent of 3.12 WTE GPs. The practice is a training practice and there are currently three GP registrars in place, 2.4 WTE There are practice nurses who work 1.86 WTE and a Healthcare assistant (0.86 WTE). There is a practice manager are eight reception/administrative staff at the practice.

The practice is contracted to provide Personal Medical Services (PMS) and is registered with the CQC for the following regulated activities: treatment of disease, disorder or injury, maternity and midwifery, family planning, surgical procedures and diagnostic and screening procedures at one location.

The practice is open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:30pm. There are extended hours 6:30pm to 7:00pm on Mondays to Thursdays. The practice was also one of three hub centres for the Lambeth area, and patients at the practice could see their own doctors in the practice until 8:00pm daily, and from 10am until 6pm on weekends.

The practice had not previously been inspected by CQC.

Updated 30 September 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at South Lambeth Road Practice on 14 July 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Consider implementing a regular meeting for reception staff.

• Review the cleaning schedule to ensure all areas of the practice are cleaned to the required standards..

• Ensure that there is trained fire marshall in place at the practice.

• Consider making fuller minutes of meetings so that the details of discussions and decisions made are more accessible.

• Consider putting a hearing loop in place in the practice.

• Ensure that formal complaints are always responded to in writing, with details of an appeals process if the patien does not agree with the outcome.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions.

• Nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.

• Performance for diabetes related indicators was similar to the national average. The practice had scored 83% for diabetes related indicators in the last QOF, similar to the national average of 89%. The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom the last IFCCHbA1c was 64 mmol/mol or less (a measure of well controlled diabetes) in the preceding 12 months was 76%, compared to a national average of 77%.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people.

• There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances and who were at risk, for example, children and young people who had a high number of A&E attendances. Immunisation rates were relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.

• Patients told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence to confirm this.

• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 81%, which was comparable to the CCG average of 80% and the national average of 82%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people.

• The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population.

• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• The practice scored in the upper quarter of practices in the Lambeth area for completion of Holistic Health assessments.

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The needs of the working age population, those recently retired and students had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care.

• The practice was proactive in offering online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

• Eighty three per cent of patients diagnosed with dementia who had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the national average.

• Performance for mental health related indicators was similar to the national average. The practice had scored 100% for mental health related indicators in the last QOF, which was better than the national average of 93%. The practice had 78 patients with poor mental health on the register. The percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months was 98%, which is higher than the national average of 88%.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients with dementia.

• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• The practice had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.

• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 30 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability.

• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.

• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.

• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.